Last week I went to a meeting in London to talk housing and the ageing society. I was invited to do a quick three minute introduction to the financial aspects of the topic of housing and an ageing population. I thought I'd write up my remarks and amplify them a bit. I've also reordered the points a little so they flow better. And, for no real reason other than it's a bit of a change, I've posted at Medium rather than here. I've also, for a bit of a change, added references to some of the recent work in the ...
There has been some grumbling of Twitter about the appointment of John Pugh as the Liberal Democrats' education spokesperson on education. I too hope that he will not take us back to the days when our education policy consisted solely of Phil Willis complaining that every new initiative would lead to a "two-tier service". This is because, then as now, we already have a two-tier system: between the state and private sectors - and frequently within the state system too, policed by house prices. The question is what we do about this, not how we can defend the status quo. ...
The rail replacement bus from Canterbury West to Ashford went past Godmersham village hall, where they looked after us on Sunday night, and then the site of the derailment. What I didn't realise at the time was that it took place on a low embankment. That, added to the fact that there was not a train coming the other way at just the wrong time, made me realise that I may have a luckier escape than I realised at the time. Anyway, these photographs from the Network Rail Media Centre show the work that has taken place to rescue the ...
Bad news: the Labour leadership contest canvass figures released by Yvette Cooper's team are anemic at best – and if they follow the usual pattern in Lib Dem leadership contests of such internal canvassing over-stating your own support, they're not merely anemic but awful. (Back in the knife-edge 2007 Lib Dem contest, for example, the Clegg campaign released canvass data putting their man on 60%. He got 50.6%.) Here's that @YvetteForLabour data. Of 5k phone calls, Cooper 16%, Corbyn 15.5%, Burnham 12.2%, LK 1.3%. Undecided 51% http://t.co/4l4PmIyOdb — Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) July 29, 2015 Good news: to release such awful figures ...
Wed 29th
19:41
The real reason why Mark Williams MP isn't in Tim Farron's front bench team, announced today *
[IMG: Mark Williams MP by LIberal Democrats] ...Wait for it... It's because he will be getting a big campaigning role, to be announced in August – apparently. On Buzzfeed, Emily Ashton writes: A Lib Dem source reassured BuzzFeed News that Williams does have a role. It just wasn't on the list. Williams will be part of a special "campaign team", to be announced later this summer. These teams are expected to focus on certain areas of policy, such as the Human Rights Act. The source insisted that Farron, who was elected leader earlier this month, had not snubbed Williams. "They ...
Wed 29th
19:23Photos: Tim Farron meeting our two sensational Kingston and Richmond by-election victors today
[IMG: 290715 1] Here's a couple of photos of Tim Farron today meeting Geraldine Locke and Jon Tolley at Banquet Records in Kingston upon Thames. Both Geraldine and Jon have scored sensational by-election victories since the general election in May. Cllr Geraldine Locke, was elected to Richmond Council in the safest Tory ward in the Twickenham constituency - which hasn't returned a Lib Dem Cllr since 1998. Kingston Cllr Jon Tolley, increased the majority in a defended seat from 18 votes to around 900 votes. Both these seats were won within a fortnight of each other! With thanks to Cllr ...
Wed 29th
16:53Today - Tim meets two new councillors in Kingston and urges members to get involved in by-elections
Today Lib Dem leader Tim Farron visited Kingston to meet two councillors who won their seats since the General Election as the party's fightback gathers pace. Tim stressed the importance of members getting involved and campaigning at every by-election. Members can help their party win in by-elections across the country, not only on the ground, but also from the comfort of their own home through phone banking. Every call helps, if you can spare a few minutes and pick up the phone, it could make all the difference. If you'd like to help out in a by-election you can visit ...
Writing on Huffington Post, Tim Farron calls for changes to the current blood donation rules: (This week) sees the launch of FreedomToDonate – a massively important campaign to review the discriminatory rules on blood donation in the UK. And I'm thrilled to put my support behind it, because the existing rules – which bar sexually active gay men, along with anyone who has ever injected drugs, or had sex for payment – are scientifically and socially outdated, deeply and unjustly stigmatising, and urgently need to change. I'm proud to say that the Lib Dems have, with many others, been campaigning ...
Ah it is nice to be writing about something that isn't politics. I need to write more non-politics blog. Remind me of this people. For those who don't know what I'm talking about by looking at the title then here is the simple version of the story. During the AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, the footballs that the Patriots were using (both teams play with different footballs when on offence – like that makes any sense) were seemingly not up to the required pressure. After an investigation it was determined that the Patriots ...
The 2015 South Gloucestershire Show takes place this Saturday and Sunday (1st and 2nd August). The show is held at the Windmill Fishery Showground situated just off the Westerleigh Road between the Henfield cross roads and Westerleigh. More information can be found on their website.
The weeks of late July and August are often referred to in Westminster circles as "the silly season", as newspapers look for all sorts of stories to fill their political pages while Parliament is in recess. And in recent days one errant Peer has provided a vivid cocktail of absurdity for them to do just that. Yet this year, it was the final few weeks before the long Summer break which seemed to get really silly. Pride of place in the roll call should probably go to "English Votes for English Laws" (or EVEL, pronounced "Evil" by some). No sooner ...
In 2018 Birmingham's ward boundaries, which have been in place since 2004, which change. While this might seem unimportant, its actually pretty key to the context in which local decisions are taken. You can have your say about where the new boundaries will be, with the consultation period running until 28th September. The Boundary Review is managed by the Boundary Commission which is an independent body reporting to Parliament. The number of councillors in Birmingham will fall from 120 to 100 and the Council will move from the current system of election by thirds (one of the three councillors for ...
[IMG: Our latest campaign pack features cycling and street safety materials] Whilst we may not all be the next Chris Froome, the demand for safer cycling has never been higher. We all have areas which are known travel black spots and this campaign is about kicking off a consultation process with your local community about what better provisions there should be for cycling. There are a [...]
[IMG: times falconer] Women 'are not tough enough to lead Labour' Such was the headline in the Times last Friday, above an article by Lord Falconer. You would be forgiven for tinking that Lord Falconer actually said that women "are not tough enough to lead Labour". But what he actually wrote was: Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper are both very talented politicians. Both have a big future in our party. But neither Yvette nor Liz can steer the Labour party through the challenging few years ahead of us when we need a leader who can reach out to all wings ...
So it's day one working with Windows 10 on my main work laptop. I've used the preview on a very old desktop machine, but now it's time to get in some power use. Plus I'm doing so off the background of a new (under 6 months old) Toshiba laptop that has become incredibly unresponsive (despite 16GB RAM, having added and extra 8GB, and a 4th Gen i7 under the hood). So, firstly, Windows 10 hasn't resolved my speed problems. The HDD (a mere 5400RPM SATA) is still bottle-necking my system with remarkable regularity. I still can't communicate properly with SMB ...
Baroness Randerson, former AM for Cardiff Central, will be new Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron's spokesperson for transport. Leader in the Assembly Kirsty Williams will speak for Wales. The full list is as follows: 1. Leader: Tim Farron MP 2. Economics: Baroness Susan Kramer 3. Foreign Affairs/Chief Whip/Leader of the house: Tom Brake MP 4. Defence: Baroness Judith Jolly 5. Home Affairs: Alistair Carmichael MP 6. Health: Norman Lamb MP 7. Education: John Pugh MP 8. Work and Pensions: Baroness Zahida Manzoor 9. Business: Lorely Burt 10. Energy and Climate Change: Lynne Featherstone 11. Local Government: Mayor of Watford, Cllr ...
Wed 29th
14:25
Valence: what it is, why it matters for the Lib Dems - and the new evidence it matters for Labour to...
[IMG: You might like the choice of wine. But if it's not going to be served without being spilled... [Ed: That's enough tenuous metaphors. Bring back the camel photos.]] You might like the choice of wine. But if it's not going to be served without being spilled... [Ed: That's enough tenuous metaphors. Bring back the camel photos.] As I explained in Liberal Democrat Newswire #65: Political scientists crunching the evidence over how people decide who to vote for (such as in Affluence, Austerity and Electoral Change in Britain) find that policy issues matter much less than 'valence' issues. That is, ...
[IMG: There was a huge turnout of new members at the Leadership hustings.] The sudden influx of new members into the party has been a joy to see, but it has also left a few people scratching their heads about what to do with all these new people. Following a session at the Lib Dem Local Government Conference, and feedback in the ALDC Facebook Group, here are a [...]
Last night folks I was ticking. Not tickling, which would've probably been a lot of fun but ticking. I've been ticking on a certain subject for quite a while but last night it exploded and I was still awake at 3 and possibly even 4 this morning seething. What could be making me so mad? Well it is the air of arrogance that some members of the party have and how instead of engaging in debate, they prefer to make a pithy comment in an attempt to show their moral superiority. I'm sure all parties have these people but as ...
Tim Farron has announced his new Shadow Cabinet, which not only is majority-female (just like the electorate) but also contains two posts focused on campaigning and a strong showing for the party's local government experience. Nick Clegg has turned down the offer of a post – wisely so as he'd risk having every word scrutinised for a SPLITS! story – and the one other MP omitted, Mark Williams, will be getting a post later in the year. Tim Farron has set about ending the Liberal Democrats' lack diversity at the top of the party - by naming the most diverse ...
Tim Farron has made the following comment on the Calais issue: If you don't give people hope, they will resort to desperate measures. We are treating this as a security issue, but primarily it is a humanitarian one. We should be big enough to take a lead and accept our fair share of refugees, rather than expecting others to do it for us. There are genuine people who need our help, but equally there are people exploiting a desperate situation. The UK government must provide all the support it can to maintain a firm but fair approach at our borders. ...
This sign has gone up in Maghull's Liverpool Road North this week:- [IMG: WP_20150727_14_35_28_Pro] Well it's not in Maghull, Lydiate, Melling or Aintree Village, in fact the nearest South Street I can find to Maghull is in the Princes Park area in deepest Liverpool L8! Some advanced warning indeed. Do you think this may just be the wrong sign in the wrong place?
I visited the Richard Jefferies Museum at Coate in Swindon myself back in 2009 when holidays were easier - my mother's health was better and you didn't get derailed.
I am publishing here the response of a Lydiate resident to the Coriolis Energy newsletter that has recently been posted to many properties in the Lydiate, Ince Blundell West Lancashire area [IMG: IMG] Dear Sirs, I refer to your notification of the public exhibitions, received yesterday by post, and advise the following. Given the notice period of your exhibitions is less than 10 days, and that the notice and exhibition dates are within the normal UK school summer holidays, you have purposefully excluded a large percentage of the local community. The attendance at the exhibitions will be smaller than would ...
I was contacted recently by a concerned resident who told me that he had heard from an Arriva driver that the 311 bus route was changing through Maghull & Lydiate and that he was concerned to hear that the bus would probably no longer serve the vast majority of Lydiate. He told me that he had been told that it would cease to run along Southport Road and Moss Lane in Lydiate and could I try to get to the bottom of what was going on. Mm, now who knows more about local buses than just about anyone else in ...
The Basingstoke Gazette reports: Sarah Cope, 36, and Clare Phipps, 26, wanted to stand jointly for the role of MP for the town in the May 2015 general election. They planned to share an MP's responsibilities as Ms Cope is the main carer for two young children and Ms Phipps suffers from a disability. Their nomination was rejected as invalid by the acting returning officer for the Basingstoke parliamentary constituency because it was two people seeking the one seat... With law firm Leigh Day acting on their behalf, they are contending that the decision to prevent them standing jointly for ...
Tim Farron has just announced his "frontbench" spokesperson team, and it is very diverse, with women leading on the economy and defence. From the Liberal Democrats: Tim Farron today set about ending the Liberal Democrats' lack diversity at the top of the party - by naming the most diverse shadow cabinet team in the party's history. The new Lib Dem leader announced a spokesperson team including 12 women and 10 men to lead the fight back against the Tory government. There are six members of the House of Commons, 10 from the House of Lords and six are neither. Tim ...
There are four by-elections in principal authorities this week that we are aware of. Two of these seats are in Aberdeen and are caused by SNP resignations. There are Lib Dem candidates for the Kincorth, Nigg and Cove ward and the Hilton, Woodside and Stockethill ward on 30 July. The by-elections were caused by the election [...]
So runs the headline in the Guardian over a piece today by Mary Dejevsky: A return to more leftwingery for Labour could create more ideological space for the Liberal Democrats and foster a stronger electoral identity for both parties. But the disaggregation of British politics would not necessarily stop there. Before the election, many Tories openly hankered after olden days. They could well renew their clamour, once the victory glow wears off and the Europe referendum looms. The chief beneficiaries of more vacant centre ground would again be the Liberal Democrats. The only question then would be whether Tim Farron ...
[IMG: The LGA Lib Dems support Liberal Democrat council groups across the country] Our colleagues at the LGA Lib Dem group have prepared a template press release and figures on the replacement of student maintenance grants. ALDC members can download the template as an MS Word file and the figures as an MS Excel spreadsheet from our File Library. If you're not currently an ALDC member, but would [...]
It is fair and even obvious to say that George Osborne is the Conservative paladin of the moment. The unexpected majority he was a major part of achieving, followed by a budget that got hearts racing on the Right, means Osborne has become the prime minister heir apparent. All of which makes the fact that in regards to the decisive issue du jour for the centre-right, George is completely out of kilter with a large portion of his party, in particular the right of it which holds him in such high regard on pretty much everything else. You know what ...
Nigel Griffiths. Tim Yeo. Mark Oaten. Paddy Ashdown. Ron Davies. Ian Harvey. David Blunkett. John Prescott. Cecil Parkinson. David Mellor ("toe job to no job" – replace orange bra with alleged Chelsea FC strip). Robin Cook. Harvey Proctor. All those men were MPs who featured in tabloid sex scandals over the last few decades. None involved expenses abuses or other impropriety that I can recall or find in the archives. The Lord Sewel episode admittedly involves an alleged breach of drugs laws (legislation which liberals have campaigned to reform) and the use of a publicly supported flat. Of course, the ...
There are many times where an original text goes before an editor and is changed for numerous reasons and although I agree with changes I also feel I should post the original article in its original tone. Here is the text that went onto the Medway Libdems webpage. This weekend there has been a furious response to Tony's letter in the Medway Messenger regarding Planning Committee. They feel it is an unjust personal attack on and that events did not play out the way they are described. First off the bat I should describe the planning issues. Forrester's Hall on ...
The House of Lords is the second largest revising chamber in the World, it is unaccountable and if the Lord Sewel episode is to be believed, it is out of control. Despite that the Independent reports that the Prime Minister is planning to appoint yet more Tory peers in order to redress the political balance there. This just perpetuates a merry-go-round in which successive Prime Ministers add to the numbers in the House of Lords to reward loyal service, get rid of troublemakers, open up winnable seats for their favourites, thank financial donors or seek to get a majority of ...
I am now 57 and feel too old to act like an Incredible Hulk, politically of course. When that old despair and rage returns about the way my own government is behaving, my main feeling is exhaustion. It saps the strength. If I've occasionally seemed too much of a compromiser, here is my excuse. I feel I need to understand why decisions are taken, why officials don't understand, how we might in practice move things forward. I'm not saying that everyone should share this, just that for me, personally, now, I'm no longer prepared just to campaign fruitlessly against things. ...
Why the Greek Deal Will Work An upbeat analysis. (tags: eu greece ) How to Beer Eurocrat Exploring all 28 EU countries, one beer at a time. (tags: eu beer ) Flemish government announces new foreign ministry Not as dramatic as it sounds. (tags: belgium )
Which oils are best to cook with? - this is very interesting and runs counter to a lot of recent advice The Muppets TV show: new posters - all the fuss is about the Kermit one, but I like the Piggy one. ... and speaking of the Muppets: Letters of Note: Scientifically yours feminism 101: Why privilege isn't something you apologize for Does the government think you're an extremist? It does me "If you answered 'yes' to ANY question, you could be vulnerable to radicalisation" - I answered yes to 5 of them. Arrest me now, David. Ministers back campaign ...
Yesterday I published a post arguing that a "comforting delusion appears to have afflicted some of those supporting Jeremy Corbyn's bid to be Labour leader: maybe his far left ideology isn't electoral liability at all, maybe it's even as asset." The basis for are some opinion polls indicating broad support for his positions on issues like tuition [...]
Teddy Bears' Picnic, 1-4pm, Sunday 9th August 2015 at Gatley Carrs nature reserve. Admission FREE, donations welcome. [IMG: teddy bear picnic]
